Photos Can Lie
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: "It'd been a week since Kara had convinced Cat Grant that Kara Danvers and Supergirl were two separate people, and, for the most part, things had returned to some semblance of normality." Kara is struggling with a more dismissive than normal Cat, and her family and friends try to help her work out the issue while Cat needles Kara and starts to get even closer to Supergirl.
1. Frustration

It'd been a week since Kara had convinced Cat Grant that Kara Danvers and Supergirl were two separate people, and, for the most part, things had returned to some semblance of normality.

As Supergirl, Kara had continued to protect the city while seeking out Cat's advice as needed. As Kara Danvers, Kara had continued to support Cat and had happily taken any advice Cat felt generous enough to give.

Realistically, Kara should have been happy that everything was settled, but the truth was she was agitated and slightly disappointed that Cat had, once again, lost interest in her as a person, and, after having the older woman's attentions for a short time, Kara found she missed Cat's awareness of her.

Of course, she had Cat's full and undivided attention whenever she arrived as Supergirl, but Supergirl was the alter ego of Kara, not the other way around, and she felt cheated out of something she knew she never really had, which just made her agitation that much worse.

"Kiera!" Kara closed her eye and inhaled slowly. It was Monday, which meant staff meetings would begin soon. Cat hated staff meetings. "Where are those agendas?"

Carefully standing up, Kara picked up her day planner and a folder containing the day's meeting agendas. As she gingerly walked into her boss's office, she took note that Cat's eyes were on the folder in her hand and not her face. A week ago, her eyes would've been on her face. "Here they are, Ms. Grant. I've added additional pages behind each agenda to give you room for notes," she handed the folder over and waited for a response.

Cat quickly flipped through the pages. "Fine. What about my 11 o'clock?"

"Ms. Fey is scheduled to arrive here by 10:45 this morning. I've arranged for her to wait in the downstairs lobby until you're ready to see her, and," Kara opened the day planner and searched for the purple ink she used to write in things for Mondays, "your meeting just before will likely end somewhere around 11:15."

"Good. I'll make sure to take the scenic route back to my office to give her plenty of time to deal with the press and her 'fans' while she waits in the public lobby," Cat said with a scoff. "That should teach her to mock me on SNL."

"I assume you'll take lunch at noon?" Kara already knew the answer. It was the same dialogue every weekday. What would you like, Ms. Grant? Of course, Ms. Grant, a wrap and a cold water. No, Ms. Grant, I won't let the water warm up this time.

"A wrap is fine. Have it here by noon, and, if Tina is still here, that should be her queue to get out. Oh! And a water." Cat still had her eyes on the paperwork in her hand. It'd been a full five minutes, and she still hadn't bothered to give Kara even a hint of eye contact. "Make sure it's actually cold this time."

"Yes, Ms. Grant. I'll make a note." With a quick turn on her heels, Kara was out of the CEO's office and back at her desk. She check her emails, sent an order and pickup time for the wrap and water, and called security to ensure they were aware of how Cat expected Ms. Fey to be treated upon arrival.

Just another day at CatCo.

Kara sighed heavily and ran a hand across her brow. "She already getting to you? It's only nine in the morning."

She looked up to find Winn smiling down on her. "What's eating her this morning? Coffee too cold? Papers too paper like?"

"Nothing." Kara shrugged. "She's Cat, and," she sighed again, shaking her head.

"What? And what?" He leaned down to force her to make eye contact. "What's eating you today?"

"Nothing, really. I guess I'm just still trying to adjust to… everything." She gave a vague wave of her hand. "It's just that," she grimaced at herself for even saying the words aloud, "for, like, a whole two weeks Cat actually treated me like a person, and then I proved to her that I wasn't Supergirl, and now I think she's treating me worse than before she thought I might be her." She groaned. "I mean, it's good she doesn't, you know, think I'mher, but it was nice being more than just her… just her…."

"Assistant?" Winn gave Kara a little, mocking smile. "You've always said that, deep down, she was really a great person. Have you changed your mind?"

"No!" Kara adamantly shook her head. "Ms. Grant is a hero, a real hero. Just look at everything she's done, everything she's accomplished. She really, truly cares about this city and the people in it, and, in her own way, she does everything she can to help them."

"You just wish she'd give you the same attention she gives, say," Winn drew the word out as he quickly glanced over to see Cat staring at a layout, "that layout she has in her hand?"

"Yes… no… yes?" At the amused look Winn shot her, Kara rolled her eyes. "It's crazy, isn't it? I don't even know why I care. I mean, she is pretty much just treating me how she always has, right?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I guess you just got a little too used to her treating you like a human, or… uh…" He shrugged a shoulder and chuckled, "something super like that."

She was going to reply to his snark when her phone rang to inform her that Tina Fey had arrived. She shot Winn a hard look and waved him away as she repeated her instructions from earlier about Cat's guest and then set about finishing her work for the day.


	2. Confusion

"Hey, are you leaving that place, or do I need to send in an extraction team?" Kara rolled her eyes at her sister and shifted her phone from one ear to the other.

"I am going to go. I just need finish up Ms. Grant's schedule for tomorrow and clean up a couple more layouts. Why? Is… is something wrong?"

Alex chuckled. "Nothing's wrong, Supergirl. You can stand down. I just thought you might want to do dinner tonight, but, from the sounds of things, you're going to raincheck me."

"Yeah," she answered apologetically to her sister, "I really have to finish up here. I'm sorry. Maybe Friday?"

"Assuming nothing Earth threatening happens, sounds like a date," Alex replied with a sigh. "Don't work too hard, okay? Even you have to rest."

"I won't; I promise." With a word of goodbye, Kara set the phone down and focused on writing in Tuesday's schedule in her day planner, this time in green.

"Kiera!" Cat's voice pulled her from her concentration. At seven at night, one would assume Cat Grant was home. One would be wrong. "Bring me tomorrow's editorial on Gaga."

Kara stood, grabbing the article on her way into her boss's office. "Here you are, Ms. Grant."

"Thank you," Cat answered absentmindedly as she looked over the editorial. "This is a terrible picture. This looks like something taken three years ago back in her shock the crowd days."

"James took it three days ago, Ms. Grant."

"I see." Cat seemed to consider the photo a bit longer. "I don't know why we're bothering. She's old news anyway. I suppose it doesn't matter. It should be good enough for some clickbait. Still," she set the paper down on her coffee table and looked at it from afar as she pulled her glasses off and tapped her bottom lip with them.

Kara pulled in a little breath. When had she started to notice how fetching Cat Grant looked when she was deep in thought? Maybe she needed to listen to her sister and go home.

Cat frowned, briefly glancing up at the noise from her assistant and then back to the layout. "No, I really don't like. This is going to be the feature tomorrow for the online publication. It needs to be something different than the usual Gaga trash. Go pull every picture we have of Gaga for the past three months and send them to me. I'll pick something out from there."

It might seem like a little request, but the truth was that sort of search would take a solid hour. It was nearing eight, and Kara really wanted to go home. She stood in front of Cat debating asking if she could come in early tomorrow and do the search while knowing that the answer would be no.

"Well?" Cat glanced up again, raising an eyebrow. Kara swallowed thickly at that sight, asking herself since when did she find the older woman's berating look sexy, "Chop! Chop!"

"Right," Kara nodded, turning on her heels on to go off in search of the impossible.

* * *

At 8:30, Kara was given permission to leave, and she happily took it despite the fact she felt a little guilty leaving Cat alone in the office. It wasn't the first time. Cat often lived at work, especially when Carter was with his father, but it was already late, and Kara wondered if Cat would end up sleeping on her couch again.

Considering ways she might get the older woman to go home and come back in the morning as the employee elevator took her down to the ground floor, Kara finally realized nothing short of a miracle would do. She frowned, shaking her head. Cat needed to go home.

Stepping outside, she looked up and breathed in deeply. The air was brisk and the night sky clear. It was the perfect night to go flying. She stopped mid-step. Of course. It was obvious how to get Cat to go home.

* * *

"Working late, Ms. Grant?"

Cat looked up from her layouts to find Supergirl floating in front of her balcony. She mentally patted herself on the back for thinking to open the balcony's doors.

"These layouts won't edit themselves." She used the glasses in her hands to motion at the paperwork making a ring around her. "I see you're working late, too. Do you even sleep?"

Kara smirked. "Yes, I sleep, but generally I don't need as much sleep as humans do." She floated inside and touched down on the thick carpet of Cat's office. "Don't you think those can wait until the morning? It's getting late, and it can be dangerous to go out alone this late at night."

"Did you fly all the way to my office to tell me to go home?" Cat narrowed her eyes playfully, and Kara could feel herself blush a bit.

"I was in the area, and I noticed your light was on and the balcony door was open." Supergirl tried for a nonchalant shrug, but it looked as stiff as it felt. "I thought I'd come check it out."

"I see." Cat seemed to look her over for a moment. "Is that the only thing you came to check out?"

Kara nearly chocked. "I don't…" she felt her eyes widen in panic. Was Cat flirting with her? "What do you…" She cleared her throat. "What do you mean?"

The short haired blonde chuckled. "You are young, aren't you?" Shaking her head, she slid her glasses back on and picked up a layout. Holding it up to the other woman, she tilter her head and asked, "What do you think of this picture of Lady Gaga?"

"I…" Kara was confused and completely thrown off. "…uh, it's fine?"

Cat hummed with displeasure at her. Turning the layout back around, she held it out at arm's length. "I think Gaga isn't half as photogenic as her little monsters think she is."

Supergirl crossed her arms and sighed. Even as the most physically powerful woman on earth, she still couldn't sway Cat Grant to go home. "Ms. Grant, it's nearly nine at night. Don't you think this can wait until tomorrow? At the very least, you'll have people here with some sort of expertise in whatever it is you're looking for input on."

"Expertise is relative," Cat murmured as she tossed the layout back down. Standing, she pulled her glasses off again and walked toward the other woman. Kara mentally shook her head. No, Cat wasn't just walking; she was prowling. "What's your expertise, Supergirl?" The shorthaired blonde cocked her head to the side. "Do you have a day job? Where do you sleep at night? Or do you sleep during the day?"

"Oh, you know," the younger woman tried for casual again, heard herself, and gave up. She'd gone from wishing for more of Cat's attention to wishing she could make a smooth escape from the inquisitive woman now standing just an arm's length away. "I'm a work in progress." She glanced down, giving a self-depreciating smile. "I'd like to think my specialty is helping others."

Cat hummed in thought. "And what about your day job?"

"What about it?" Kara mentally kicked herself. She'd responded too quickly, and her brain had kicked in too late. That's the kind of question that leave things open for Cat to…

"So you do have a day job?" The older woman grinned. "What is it? Can you give me an area, maybe? Do you have a degree?"

Supergirl let out a heavy sigh. "Does it really matter?" Waving her hand to dismiss whatever the other woman was going to say, Kara pulled in as much courage as she could muster and tried, once again, to simply get Cat to go home. "What matters is that I'm usually here when you need me, and, right now, I'm here to tell you to go home, Ms. Grant. It's now 9:15, and, speaking as someone who does have a day job, I can say with certainty that going to work the next day after working late the day before can be killer."

Cat looked the younger woman up and down again. "Whenever I need you?"

"What?" Kara could feel her blush creeping back up her neck. That's not at all what she meant. Probably. No, definitely. Definitely probably not what she meant. She sucked in a breath and tried not to notice how attractive Cat's challenging eyes could be, especially when paired with a smirk. "I mean, anyone in the city. A plural you, Ms. Grant. Now," she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, "Are you going to go home, or am I going to have to force the issue?"

"As much as I'd like to see how you would 'force the issue,' Supergirl, I think you may be right. I really need a second opinion that's better than 'it's fine' regarding this layout." Cat quickly turned, dismissively ignoring the confusion evident on the other woman's face. "I think I'll call my car, call my assistant to be here early tomorrow, and then go home." Cat reached down to pick up her phone. "Are you going to walk me to my car, or are you done babysitting me tonight? I'm sure there's someone out there that needs saving from more than working late."

Kara pushed up to float again, thankful the conversation was closing. "Have a good night, Ms. Grant, and please be careful."

Cat pursed her lips in annoyance at the warning as she pulled her phone up to speak to her driver, and Kara took that chance to rush out before her cell phone rang and gave her away. It only took Cat a minute to call her, which was not enough time for her to really recover from the odd conversation she'd just left.

Sitting down on the ledge of a building top, she answered the phone with what she hopped sounded like a sleepy voice. "Ms. Grant?" She faked a yawn. "Is everything okay?"

"Kiera, are you already in bed? It's not even ten."

Kara rolled her eyes. "It was a long day."

"No longer than mine," Cat flippantly replied. "No matter, if you want to live like someone well into their geriatric years, then go on, but I expect you here at seven tomorrow morning to help me finish these layouts for the 8:30 rollout."

"Of course, Ms. Grant," Kara answered tiredly, and it was wariness from her words being cut off as Cat ended the call before she could finish her reply that tinged her emotions more than the potential annoyance of having to be at work two hours early.


	3. Consideration

Tuesday and Wednesday rolled on without much change in her normal routine, which now often included running out on an 'errand,' saving a few people, and then making it back in time to order Cat's lunch. Deadlines were met. Layouts were edited, and life went on.

…and Cat continued to be dismissive.

Kara could feel herself getting twitchier by the day.

"Hey," James strolled up to her desk with proofs in his hand. "Thought you'd probably want these soon."

"Thanks." She took them without really looking at them or him. After a moment, she realized he was still there. "Was there something else?"

"Yeah, come get some coffee with me." He wasn't requesting, and she assumed it was Supergirl related, so she obliged him. It wasn't until they were in his office and out of earshot of people that she realized how wrong she was. "So, are you going to talk to Cat anytime soon?"

"Cat?" She blinked at him. "About what?"

He shrugged. "Just in general. It's bad enough when Cat is in a bad mood, but, when you're both off, things can get pretty dicey around the office." He nodded his head toward the CEO's office. "I figure your mood will change a little if you have some Cat time. It normally does."

She was going to act like she didn't know what he was talking about, but she really didn't have it in her. She was tired and agitated and frustrated. "She talks to Supergirl. She sometimes acknowledges me."

He shrugged. "Maybe then Supergirl should go…"

"I don't want her to get to know Supergirl more, James. I want her to want to get to know me more. Supergirl is… is…"

"You." He sighed, giving her an understanding look that just made her angrier. "You know, your cousin had the same problem with Lois for a while."

She pushed her glasses up and crossed her arms, glancing away to ignore his sympathy. "What are you talking about?"

"When he first came out as the big guy, Lois practically fangirled every time Superman showed up, but Clark?" He snorted. "The mousy guy that was always around and always helpful? She couldn't have cared less if she tried once Superman showed up. Before Superman, Lois and Clark had a sort of flirtatious thing going on, but, after?" He slowly shook his head. "Clark might as well have been invisible."

"Cat is my boss, not my coworker, and Cat and I aren't in the first phase of possibly dating, James." She rolled her eyes. "It's not the same."

"No?" He walked over to his desk and rummaged around until he found a couple of photos. Turning back, he held them out to her with one hand and pointed with the other. "That's how you look at her when you think no one is paying attention." He moved to the other photo. "That's how she looks at you when she thinks no one is around to see it."

They were candid shots that James must have taken when he was carrying around his camera during the disaster that hit the city a few months before. In one, Cat was staring down at piece of paper, her profile in the shot, and Kara was looking at the older woman. Kara's face was fully facing the camera, and she had to admit she looked like a lost puppy dog. In the other shot, Kara was bent over her desk and fully engrossed in something she was reading there. Her head was completely down, and her back was slightly toward the camera. Cat stood in slight profile again with her arms crossed and a look of what could arguably be called affectionate admiration on her face.

Kara sighed heavily and grabbed the photos to really look at them before shaking her head. "Photos tell a story, but you and I both know that the story can be a lie." She gave him an annoyed look over her glasses.

"Okay, fine." He held has hands up in mock surrender. "Keep the photos," he said with a wave of his hand, turning to go back to his desk. "Just something to think about."

She huffed as she walked out of his office and back to her desk. Glancing down at the photos, the one of Cat looking at her caught her attention, and she stared at it, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway. Could Cat…? No.

Nope.

The whole concept was ridiculous. Kara decided she had been working too hard and made a decision to ask for some time off soon from both jobs. She clearly needed a break.


	4. Temptation

Much to Kara's disappointment, Friday was also a raincheck day. Bad guys don't follow a Monday through Friday schedule, which meant she found herself protecting the city from certain doom on Friday night instead of watching "The Walking Dead" and eating pizza with Alex.

Things weren't under control until almost midnight on Saturday, and, by then, Kara was more than ready for some alone time to decompress and gather herself, which her sister understood. It wasn't rejection; Supergirl just needed space to breathe for a bit as Kara and not as the savior of the city.

She considered going home and crashing, but the night was calm and peaceful. It was perfect for flying.

Midnight was the best time to fly. When most of the city was asleep and she could freely float between the buildings and open sky while enjoying the feel of the cool wind brushing past her face and ruffling her hair, it was the only time she felt some sort of cohesiveness between Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El, and Supergirl. Midnight was a magical hour. She rarely had to tune into a crime more serious than a burglary, which, though awful, was something the police could handle. It was a time when she could relax and simply be.

Inhaling deeply, she grinned and began making lazy barrel rolls through the air. She lamented denying herself this freedom for so long. This was her meditation time, and she promised herself she would never deny this peacefulness again. With a smirk, she allowed her eyes to glance around as she swooped and rolled through the night, giggling at how the world seemed to revolve around her for a change.

She was beginning to think a hot bath and then bed sounded like a good plan when her eyes caught the lights on once again on the top floor of Catco. She huffed half in frustration and half in curiosity. What was Cat up to now?

Circling the building once to check for potential problems, she stopped just in front of the, once again, open glass doors to the private balcony she knew Cat was so fond of.

"I thought we discussed how dangerous it was for you to be out alone so late at night, Ms. Grant." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, happy that the wind was on her side and blowing her cape backwards instead of forwards, which would have ruined the effect she was going for.

"And I thought we discussed the fact that you'd always be here for me if I needed you," Cat shot back, not bothering to look up from her layouts.

Kara uncomfortably cleared her throat. "It was a plural you, Ms. Grant."

"Of course it was." Cat replied with a smirk, finally looking up and running her eyes over the hovering young woman outside her balcony. "Well? Are you going to stay out there all night, or are you coming in?"

Shaking her head at Cat's lack of intimation by her presence, Kara slowly floated in and touchdown, taking a moment to straighten her cape as she took a seat on the sofa. She turned slightly, pushing her back against the sofa arm opposite Cat so she could watch the older woman at the massive desk against the back wall. "Why are you here so late, Ms. Grant?"

Cat raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Well, I believe it's obvious, Supergirl. I'm working." She picked up her tumbler and sipped on it for a moment. "Why are you up so late?"

"Calming down," the younger woman replied smoothly and silently dared the other woman to keep questioning her. She was suddenly wide awake and ready for some mental sparring. She suddenly realized she missed talking to Cat like this on days when it didn't happen.

"From Tweedle Dee and Dum, I presume?" Cat rose from her chair and walked to her fridge to pull out a bottle of water. "That was a longer fight than normal for you." She turned, tossing it at Supergirl as part of the motion.

Kara easily caught it and tipped her head in thanks before taking a sip. "It was… trying. Two against one isn't a fair fight."

"But you handled your own." Leaning against the dry bar, Cat seemed to be searching the younger woman for something. "Did they hurt you?"

"Not really." Kara glanced down at herself, suddenly concerned she might be filthy and accidentally messing up Cat's pristine white sofa. Satisfied it was fine, she looked back up with a nonchalant shrug. "I heal quickly."

"So they did hurt you?" The note of concern in Cat's voice threw Kara off guard. What was this? Was her boss worried for her safety? "I know you're bulletproof, but they looked like they were, too. Are you certain you're alright?"

No, Kara corrected herself, Cat was worried about Supergirl. "I'll be fine, Ms. Grant. I just needed to wind down a little from the fight, and, after a good night's rest, I'll be back to my normal self in no time."

Cat took in a deep breath and released it, seeming to think something over for a moment. "You know," she said quietly, eyes locked on some distant something outside the window and past the balcony, "I watched that entire fight yesterday."

"The whole thing?" Kara couldn't keep the shock out of her voice. "Ms. Grant, that fight lasted two hours straight. Surely you had other things to do…"

"If you were seriously injured, that would have been my 'thing to do,' Supergirl. Remember," the older woman set her glass down with a decisive thunk behind her, "I named you. I branded you. As far as I'm concerned," she leaned over a bit, voice lowering a few notes, "you're mine, Supergirl, and I don't take kindly to people harming things that are mine."

Kara swallowed thickly. She wasn't sure if that was a come on, a claim of ownership that reached into the realm of inappropriate, or something between the two. What she did know is that she couldn't stop herself from looked as shocked and mildly aroused as she felt, and that made her want to make a hasty retreat before something weirder than this conversation happened.

"I…" she glanced around, standing to throw her now empty bottle in the trash by Cat's desk as an excuse to move. "…I don't know what to say, Ms. Grant." She turned back around to find the older woman's eyes trained on her every move. "I suppose I'm a bit flattered, but, to be fair, you may have branded me, but I do have a real name, and, although I appre…"

"What is it?" Cat smirked like she had cornered a mouse.

Kara mentally kicked herself. Why did she keep giving the reporter these openings? She went with playing dumb. "What?"

"You said you have a name, a real name. What is it?" The older woman crossed her arms and leveled the superhero in front of her with an expectant stare.

"It… it doesn't matter." Kara was dying to get out of this situation but couldn't seem to stop herself from talking. "I… I'm not that person anymore anyway," she added morosely, glancing to the side and clearing her throat. This was probably a bad idea, but she just wanted to be near Cat even when she wanted to not, so her mouth kept going even when her head told her she really need to cut bait and run. "My family's name is El. Kryptonian women traditionally take their father's first name as part of their surname." She frowned, looking at Cat with a pained expression. "My father's name was Zor-El," she finished in barely a whisper.

"Zor-El?" Cat tilted her head in thought. "So your surname is Zor-El?"

"Yes," Kara nodded, sighing heavily. "My cousin's last name is El as well."

Cat nodded. "And his first name? Kryptonian, I mean. I'm not asking you to reveal his secret identity," she smirked just a touch, adding with a tease in her voice, "yet."

Despite herself, the younger woman chuckled. "Kal."

"Kal-El?" The short haired blonde hummed in thought. "Do all names from your planet start with a K?"

"No, my mother's name was Alura." Kara's eyes went watery for a moment, and she glanced away, wiping at them quickly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Grant, but I can't keep talking about this right now."

"I'm sorry, Supergirl." Cat's voice was soft as she took the few steps to be next to the younger woman. Reaching a hand out, she placed it gently on the Kryptonian's arm, giving it a warm squeeze. "I'm sure they would have been proud of you."

"Yeah." Sniffing a few times, Kara turned to the other woman and asked with lowered eyes, "May I have a hug?" It wasn't what she thought was going to come out of her mouth. She thought she was going to bid her boss farewell and then fly away, but her mouth continued to betray her.

Without hesitation, Cat stepped forward and pulled the taller woman into a hug wrapping her arms as protectively around her as she could. Kara returned it, careful not to hurt the petite woman offering her comfort. After a few moments, the physical contact turned more… something.

Kara began to notice the distinctive perfume she knew Cat always wore and how wonderfully it mixed with the other woman's natural body chemistry. She could feel the press of Cat's body against her own, and, much to her personal surprise, she found she wanted to feel more.

It was too much, and it was extremely inappropriate, not to mention weird.

She pulled back awkwardly and just a touch too fast, nearly knocking Cat backwards. She caught and steadied the woman before taking a few steps back. "I… I should go," she managed to mumble out. "That you for the water, Ms. Grant."

Cat held firmly to the edge of her desk to keep her balance, still slightly disoriented at Supergirl's quick retreat. "Thank you for the trust." She smiled gently. "Maybe one day you'll tell me your given name, too?"

Kara pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth. She could feel the blush rising, and she hated it, this weird thing her body had decided to do anytime she was near Cat in a candid way. "Maybe," she said with a nod before pushing off the floor and floating out the open balcony doors. Calling out over her shoulder she bid the other woman a goodnight and, once again, told her to go home before she darted off to her own apartment set on taking a long, hot bath and trying to forget whatever it was that had just happened in Cat's office.


	5. Supposition

Kiera, get Ellen's people on the phone." Cat strolled in from her private elevator, phone in one hand and purse that cost more than her assistant was worth in the other. "She's hit on a hotspot right now regarding women's fashion transitioning into men's ware, and I want to pick her up as the next model for our upcoming layout."

Kara dutifully handed over the hot latte in her hand while unsuccessfully trying not to fumble her day planner. "Yes, Ms. Grant." She followed with her blue pen in hand. It was Wednesday. Wednesday was blue day. "I thought you might want Ellen, so I took the liberty of contacting her people Monday afternoon." She stopped short when Cat rounded on her just inside the older woman's office.

"You didn't tell me you did that." Cat stared at her over the top of her Ray-Bans.

The younger woman hugged her open planner to chest and panicked a little. "Well… I… um… that is to say that I thought…"

"You thought you would do something like contact Ellen's people without telling me, thus forcing me to make a request that was already in progress instead of just giving me an update," Cat filled in for her fumbling assistant. "Honestly, Kiera, why must you insist on making me work twice as hard? We could already be discussing clothing pieces for the shoot instead of wasting time talking about something that's already been done." She pulled her glasses off with a huff. "Did they get back to you yet?"

"Well, yes, but no." Kara winced.

Her boss gave an unimpressed sniff. "Which is it? Yes or no?"

"Uh, well, yes, they did return my call." The young woman took in a steading breath. She hated giving Cat bad news. "But, um… well, no, Ellen isn't interested."

Cat raised an eyebrow. "Isn't interested?" She watched her assistant give a small, hesitant nod. "What does that mean? Not interested?"

"She… she… okay," Kara took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a quick second. Opening them again, she found the petite woman staring up at her with a mixture of annoyance and… amusement? No, Kara mentally shook herself. That was probably the fear talking. Kara was bulletproof, could break people in half, and had the ability to literally set things on fire with her eyes, but Cat Grant being annoyed at being told no scared the crap out of her.

She cleared her throat and tried again. "Ellen said she was flattered for the offer, but she's not interested in doing any more beauty related things. She said, after the Covergirl incident, she had learned her lesson and would rather stick to areas she feels are more in her… realm of expertise."

"I see." Cat looked up in thought for a moment, finally turning to step out of her assistant's personal space. "Well, maybe it's for the best. Now that I think about it, she was really a horrible makeup model." She waved the hand holding her glasses in the air dismissively as she rounded her desk to take a seat. "Too goofy and not enough smolder, really."

Settling, Cat dropped her glasses into her bag and placed the bag in its usual spot. "But this does bring up a potential issue."

Kara nodded, swallowing down her nerves. "Who to have on the cover?"

"No, what to eat for lunch." The older woman rolled her eyes. "Yes, Kiera, who to have on the cover. Since Supergirl has blown into town, our readership is up, and the first issue we put her on boosted sales by over 75 percent…" She trailed off, clearly thinking over her options.

"But… you don't want to oversaturate the market with Supergirl, right?" In truth, Kara hated seeing herself on the cover of Cat's magazine. It felt weird. "You said you wanted to focus on women's fashion transitioning to men's ware, so," she drug the word out a she tried to quickly think up an alternative her boss would actually like, "why not invite a few well known women from different targeted age groups to pose in three piece suits or something?"

Cat focused her stare on Kara, eyes narrowing. The silence gapped, and the younger woman felt like she should go ahead and take the initiative to clean out her desk and go home.

"Kiera," her boss began, drawing the name out. "That should do just fine."

Kara blinked slowly. "Ms. Grant?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." Cat flipped open her notebook and turned it on. "Now, we have less time than you think we do. Let's go with classic beauties with strong facial features, and, for the older women, let's make sure they've aged into a fine wine, shall we? I'm all for empowering, but I still have a magazine to sell."

"Yes, Ms. Grant." Kara pulled her planner away from where she had it death gripped against her and began to take notes. "Um… I'm going to assume you want me to contact Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, Lucy Lawless, Angie Harmon, Anna Kendrick, Lana Parrilla…"

Cat sighed heavily. "More diversity, please. This isn't a country club, Keira."

"Right… diversity." Kara frowned in thought. "Helen Mirren, Rhianna, Lana Parrilla, Ming Na Wen, Cyrine Abdelnour, and…"

"Everyone else you mentioned. If we can get at least half to agree, it should prove to be a good cover, and let's try to find an angle so we have a reason for them to be on the cover, shall we?" Cat tapped her bottom lip with her pen. "Let's go with something along the lines of 'women working in modern show business' but with an age and cultural diversity twist to it."

"Yes, Ms. Grant. I'll let the mainline editor know so we can get a staff writer on questions for the interviews." Kara jotted down more notes, now fully engaged in making everything go smoothly for Cat.

"Off you go." Cat waved her away, waiting to the last possible second to call out to her quickly retreating assistant. "Oh, and Kiera?"

Kara turned, pen poised at the ready. "Yes, Ms. Grant?"

Cat nodded once. "Good." She waved her hand again in a final dismissal, but Kara couldn't be bothered to feel upset by the flippancy of it because Cat Grant had just praised her.

She grinned from ear-to-ear, almost literally floating to her desk. Yes, Cat didn't have a bit of interest in her as a person, but she had just told her assistant that she'd done well. Maybe, if Kara worked hard enough, Cat would bother to at least acknowledge her professionally?

It may not be Cat getting to know Kara Danvers on a personal level, but it was better than Cat only having eyes for Supergirl.

Kara scowled at herself. She was starting to sound jealous of her alter ego in a weird love triangle sort of way, which was just about the weirdest thing ever. Plopping down at her desk with a heavy sigh, she set to work trying to make contact with each actress's people only to stop mid-dial as her eyes fell to the pictures James had given her the week before.

They were half hidden underneath her planner, a few layouts, and some sticky notes, but the face of Cat Grant looking at her as though she really saw her and not just her assistant still caught Kara's attention. She hung up the phone and pulled the photo out of the mess she'd created.

In crisp, clear, high definition color was Cat looking down at her as if she were more than just a placeholder until the next assistant arrived. In the picture, Cat's expression was unmistakable. It was warmth and humor, possession and affection, and tenderness and something Kara couldn't put her finger on.

She'd never seen that look directed at her where should could actually see it happening in real time, but it was there in the photo, and, for the briefest of moments, she let James' words about her cousin and Lois play through her head.

Maybe? But maybe not. She knew Cat. She knew Cat liked to use every advantage she knew she had in order to put herself in a position of power, which meant that Cat wasn't above a little flirting to get something stabilized, finalized, or otherwise in her wheelhouse. If Supergirl gave off even a hint of possibly being maybe attracted to Cat, Cat would most definitely push that button to see what it got her.

Maybe Kara had accidentally said or done something to give Cat the idea to flirt as she so clearly had been the last time Supergirl visited Catco? Maybe Cat was only playing a long game of chess to keep herself in a power position over Supergirl? Maybe Kara liked the idea of Cat being in a power position over her?

Kara groaned.

Maybe she needed to take more cold showers.

Shaking her head, she dropped the photo back onto the pile that had become her desk and picked her desk phone back up. People weren't going to call themselves, and she could hear Cat's voice in her head telling her 'Chop! Chop!'


	6. Destruction

"First, I will kill you, and then I will take over this city and pummel it into the ground," the convict-turned-super bad guy spat out at Supergirl as they brawled in the middle of downtown National City.

Kara had left Friday for a lunch date with her sister, but, once again, bad guys don't bother to crosscheck calendars before deciding to attack, so she was, once again, pulled away from food and into a fight with a hard hitting alien type that looked disturbingly like a WWF wrestler on steroids.

"Not going to happen," she shouted back while ducking under his right hook. She threw a quick jab to his ribs as she moved under him. She needed to get him out of the city to reduce collateral damage.

The hit forced him to the side, and he let out a surprised yelp as he fell over, the air knocked out of him for a moment. Supergirl took the opening to come up on his hurt side and begin hitting him in the face for all she had. Yes, she was making a huge hole in one of the major streets in downtown, but it was a far better alternative to this guy leveling the whole city.

She cried in frustration. He was down, but he refused to fully pass out. "Come on!"

She reared back to throw another punch, and he used the opening to knock her away. She landed in the side of an SUV, leaving the thankfully empty car with a Supergirl body impression. She grunted and blinked. The force had disoriented her, and she was having problems with her bearings. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off the side of the vehicle and staggered into a shaky stance.

"You have weakness, Last Daughter of the House of El," he shouted at her as he moved toward the crowd of onlookers who were too dazed and too scared to run. "Your mother and uncle were weak, always worrying about the underclass." Moving with super speed, he rushed the innocents trying to scramble out of his way and grabbed the first person he could lay his hands on.

"Your weakness will be your undoing." He held a young man in the air above his head with one hand and glared at the Kyptonian. "Surrender and come with me, or I kill this underling."

Kara took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was trapped. Innocent people were about to get very hurt if she didn't do something, so she did the only thing that made sense. She agreed. Nodding slowly, she held her hands up. "Okay," she swallowed hard. "I'll go with you. Just put him down. No one has to get hurt."

The convict snorted. "If I'd know it was that easy, I'd have done this first." Shaking his head, he sneered at her. "Pathetic. I thought you would at least be a challenge. You do not deserve such an easy out."

It happened in slow motion.

The arm holding the young man began to descend rapidly, and Kara tried to react in time. She moved as quickly as she could to catch him, to keep him from being flattened against the broken pavement, but she was wasn't quick enough. The young man's body cracked against the ground, his head bouncing and limbs visibly breaking. She watched in horror as he let out his last breath, his eyes trained on her with a mixture of betrayal and horror forever etched on his face.

The world stood still.

Everything seemed to go quiet, and then she was on the convict, beating him in a fit of rage, frustration, and hurt. She screamed and cried out as she pounded him, thrusting his huge, hulking body across the street and into the side of building. She moved at speeds so quick the human eye saw only a blur of red and blue as she grabbed him by the leg and pulled him up into the sky.

The more he fought for release, the harder she held on and the further up she flew until the city was a dollhouse of people and cars below them.

"What are you going to do, Kara Zor-El? Drop me?" He kicked at her with his free leg, grunting as he missed.

"Yes," she growled as she zipped them across the sky toward the dessert.

"Supergirl?" It was Alex in her ear. "Supergirl, can you hear me?"

"Not now," she spat out.

"We have a containment area set up for him." It was clear Alex was worried. She was pushing. "You just need to bring him to the DEO, and we can take care of him from here."

"I can take care of him now," Kara replied with venom in her voice.

She would fight these villains for eternity, and, so long as she was the only one hurt, that was fine. But, to use innocent people as pawns, and then to… to… kill them as if they are nothing? No, it was unacceptable. She could not and would not allow it happen. Humanity deserved better than that. It was her fault they were here. They were her responsibility. She ultimately had ownership of everything they did, and she had allowed someone to die because she wasn't strong enough to stop this convict or fast enough to save the human.

She wasn't a superhero. She was a failure, but she could at least do something right. She could make sure this convict never killed again.

"Kara, you don't want to do that." Her sister's voice was gentle but tense. "That's not who you are."

With her free hand, Kara wiped at her eyes. "You don't know who I am."

"Of course I do," her older sister replied softly. "I know you're a good person who is trying to do the right thing, and I know that, sometimes, you can do the right thing and still not win. I know how much you hate it when things aren't fair, and I know how much you love pumpkin spice weather… and puppies."

Alex gave a small smile, and her younger sister could sense it in her voice. "I know you like reading questionable fanfiction when you have days off, and I know that your favorite book is 'Winter of Fire' because you have a thing for cheering on the underdog. I know you want to do what's best, and I know how hard you are on yourself when you don't perform as well as you think you should, and I know," Alex said with sad sigh, "that you probably feel like all of this is your fault, but it's not. You didn't bring them here, Kara, and you didn't put them in that prison to begin with. They did that themselves, and, right now, I know it hurts, and I know you're angry, but I also know that you still want to do the right thing, so," she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "what is that right thing going to be?"

Kara sniffed, eyes watery and head pounding. Her sister was right. She didn't want to kill this man. She wanted justice. "Okay, I'll bring him in, but then I'm leaving. I can't stay at the DEO for the rest of the day. I need a break."

"Yeah, okay," Alex answered in relief. "You get him here and in the containment area, and we will take it from there."


	7. Understanding

"Kiera, there you are," Cat strolled over to her assistant's desk with a folder in hand. "You're an hour and a half late from lunch."

Kara cleared her throat and tried for normal. "I'm sorry, Ms. Grant. I had an unexpected errand come up, and h…it had to be immediately handled. It… uh… it wasn't something I could ask my sister to take care of," she added with a mumble, glancing away as a pained expression crossed her face. "It won't happen again."

Her boss watched her for a second before motioning with the file. "Up and in my office, now."

With a heavy sigh, Kara followed directions, grabbing her notepad and planner on the way. She knew she looked worse-for-wear. She knew her eyes were red rimmed from crying, and she knew how Cat Grant felt about crying. She wasn't sure, however, if she could handle whatever the older woman was about to throw at her.

Cat motioned for her office door to be closed and turned to the screens behind her. Kara's eyes skipped from screen-to-screen, and she internally sobbed as she saw the face of the young man she couldn't save and the video of his final moments being replayed over and over again.

"I want us to have a story up by tomorrow morning about this," Cat said with a motion of her hand toward the screens. "The people of this city want to know what happened, and I think it's our duty to tell them." She turned to her assistant. "Obviously, we have it on film, but what we don't have is Supergirl's take on it."

"What?" Kara's voice came out strangled.

"Her take on it, Kiera. Did I stutter? Look," Cat tossed the file in her hand onto her coffee table and took a seat on one end of her sofa, settling in as she looked up at her assistant. "People want to know details when something tragic happens. Half of it is because people are a little morbid, but the other half is because they can find reassurance in the details. The details soothe them; it allows them to think it can't happen to them."

"But it could happen to them," the younger woman blurted out, anger and hurt echoing in her words. "Supergirl couldn't save that man. She wasn't strong enough to take that thing out, and she wasn't quick enough to save that man who didn't deserve to die, especially that way. I," Kara wince, quickly changing her pronouns, "she wasn't good enough, Ms. Grant, which means that it could happen again. Someone else, some other innocent person, could die again because Supergirl couldn't save them, and I don't see how those kinds of details are going to reassure anyone."

Cat leveled Kara with a hard look. "Are you suggesting Supergirl isn't a hero?"

"I'm just saying that," Kara began to fumble, realizing she was pushing her luck. "Supergirl isn't always that super. Sometimes, bad things happen no matter how hard she tries to stop it, and… and… I don't see how that is comforting." She pulled her planner and notepad closer to her chest, looking down to the carpet as she finished out in a desperate, agonized voice, "At least, it isn't comforting to me."

Silence filled the office as Kara waited to see what verbal punishment her boss was going to inflict on her for suggesting her golden child wasn't so golden. Instead, she head rustling and then a bottle of water appeared in her line of sight. With a shaky hand, Kara took it as she glanced up to find Cat well within her personal bubble. "I try every single day to do what's right for my company, for this city, and for my family. Sometimes, it works out, and great things come of it. Sometimes, it doesn't work out despite how hard I fight for it, and, even though it may be… inconvenient at the time, I've learned that, even in defeat, good things can happen. You learn and grow, and growth can be painful but it is never a bad thing."

Turning on her heels, Cat walked back to her desk to look up at the file footage of the day's events. "This episode today was a growing pain for Supergirl. She learned in the worst way possible that she can't save everyone, no matter how hard she tries, and I can't even being to image how that feels, but," she turned back to Kara, "that's why she needs to talk about it before Maxwell Lord or Bill O'Reilly or some other anti-alien nut job who doesn't understand all the good Supergirl has done and will do gets their claws into this and turns it into a reason to fear her, or, worse, hate her. She needs to speak out and explain her growing pain to the city so that they have that growth, too. It's the only way, Kiera." Cat pointed at the folder on the coffee table. "Supergirl has to force us to grow with her so that we can grow together and not apart, so that we are stronger together." Kara inhaled sharply at the use of her family's motto. Cat seemed to miss it. "The questions I want to ask her are in that folder. Take a look at it and do whatever edits or additions you think would work, and then get with James. Tell him to do whatever it is he does to get Sueprgirl's attention."

Cat walked to her desk to take a seat. "I want Supergirl in here before the end of the day."

Kara picked the folder up and tried not to look as overwhelmed as she felt. "Yes, Ms. Grant. I'm sure James will try his best, but…"

"I don't care what excuse you're about to give me." The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "Supergirl. My Office. End of the Day. Chop! Chop!"

Kara nodded and spun to make a beeline for James' office while wondering how much worse this day could get.

* * *

"So, are you going to talk to her or no?" James leaned against his desk as he watched Kara pace across his small office.

"I don't know." She threw her hands up in frustration. "What she's saying makes sense, but I don't know if I'm mentally there to deal with her today." She groaned. "I just wanted to come back to work today and hide in plain sight and pretend to be normal for a little while because I know that, when I close my eyes tonight…" She stopped moving as her throat closed up and her eyes threatened to well up again.

"Then don't." He reached out and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "I'll tell her that Supergirl isn't ready to talk just yet and let her know that you asked for us to give you some space while you mourn."

"She won't accept that," Kara replied dejectedly. "You know how Cat is."

He hummed in agreement. "Well, I think Cat makes some valid points, and I also think that you need to talk about what happened a bit more. If I were you," he said thoughtfully, a hand running across his lower chin, "I think I'd go talk to Cat, but make it off the record until you figured out what you were okay with the rest of the world outside of Cat knowing."

Kara scowled at him. "You make it sound like I'm going to see my therapist or girlfriend or something."

"I'm not saying any of that, but, look, you respect her, don't you?" At her nod yes, he continued. "And you respect her advice, right?" She nodded again. "Do you trust her?" She nodded emphatically yes. "Would talking to her freely about what happened today make you feel better?" She sighed but nodded yes again. "Then I think you have your answer."

Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Kara nodded once more. "Yeah," she breathed out before turning to leave. She called out a weak thanks as she left the office to head to the elevators.


	8. Sanctuary

Supergirl floated slowly onto Cat Grant's private balcony and sighed when she realized she'd have to knock. She paced for a moment to get her nerve up and then lightly pecked on the glass. A moment later, Cat greeted her with a curt nod as she opened the doors and stepped aside.

"Supergirl, thank you for coming." She motioned for them to take a seat on the sofa. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you, Ms. Grant." Kara swallowed down the lump in her throat. She couldn't tell if it was nerves or sadness; maybe it was both. She took a seat on one end of the sofa as she watched Cat grab her recorder, a note pad, and a bottle of water before settling on the opposite side. "James said you wanted to speak with me about what happened." She could feel her mouth forming a thin line. Her emotions were a mess.

"Yes." Cat glanced toward her coffee table and then toward her assistant's now empty desk. "I gave my assistant questions to read over, but it looks like she's abandoned her post. She and I will have to discuss that when she decides to come back." Cat released an annoyed sigh. "No matter. I don't need them anyway." Popping the recorder on and poising her pen above the paper, she asked, "So, what can you tell me about what happened today?"

Kara grunted, reaching over to turn the recorder off. "I'll be honest with you, Ms. Grant. This is difficult for me. I wouldn't even be here right now if not for the fact that it was you requesting that I come." She mentally winced. Where had that come from? "I'm willing to talk to you about it, but I'm not willing to talk to… everyone else. At least, not yet." She took in a calming breath. "For right now, can this be off the record, and, maybe in a bit, I can decide what I'm willing to put on the record?"

"Are you trying to hide something?" Cat raised an eyebrow in dare, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"No," the younger girl let out a mirthless laugh. What had she been thinking trying to do this right now? "It's all recorded." She waved her hand toward the bank of televisions on the back wall. "I couldn't hide my failure even if I wanted to, and, make no mistake, Ms. Grant, this was a failure." She swallowed again. "But I'm not the type to hide my failures from people."

Cat wrote something down and then motioned toward the recorder. Kara nodded in the affirmative. What did it matter? Let it all be on the record. "Why do you think this tragedy is your failure, Supergirl?"

"I wasn't strong enough or fast enough to save that man." She leaned forward to place her elbows on her knees. It caused her hair to fall over her face and her cape to cover her, giving her whole countenance a veiled look. "I couldn't save him, but, God, I tried to. I tried to do the right thing."

"You saved the city," Cat offered quietly.

"You would think that's some kind of solace, but it's not." Supergirl's voice wavered. "I was sent here to protect Earth, and I'm trying to do just that, but I can't." She turned her head just enough to see the older woman through the shroud of her hair. "I could work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't be able to save everyone, and that fact eats at me." She closed her eyes against the tears. "No matter how hard I try or how long I work, someone will eventually be hurt." She turned her head back toward the floor, and let the tears fall. "Or worse."

Cat cleared her throat. "Are you saying you're going to stop?"

"No." Kara very slowly shook her head in the negative. "I won't stop. How could I?" She leaned back, pulling her folded hands into her lap and allowing her head to rest against the back of the sofa. "I can hear people asking for help all the time. Even now, as I sit here with you, if I don't focus enough, I can hear them. How can I turn my back to that? I did that for far too long, and too many people I could help I didn't, and I may never forgive myself for that, but," she closed her eyes, allowing herself as Supergirl a rare moment of unguardedness in the middle of the day in the Queen of All Media's office, "I'm here now, and I promise I will continue to do everything I can within reason, and sometimes even beyond, to protect the citizens of this city," she opened her eyes and looked toward the other woman, "even if that means I fail sometimes. At least I tried."

Cat nodded, reaching over to turn the recorder off. "You should go home and rest Supergirl. This day has been long for all of us. I'll write something up, and it will be on CatCo's main website before the end of the day." She picked her phone up from where it rested on the coffee table. "Would you mind if I took your picture?"

"Why?" Kara's voice sounded tired. "I probably look awful."

The older woman smiled gently. "You look human," she quietly replied, "and I think it's important for the city… for all of us …to remember that even you and your cousin aren't perfect."

Supergirl closed her eyes again and sighed. "Won't that ruin the bulletproof image you've created for me?"

She could hear Cat chuckle. "It's a fact that you're bulletproof, Supergirl." She heard the 'click' from the phone's app as the older woman snapped a picture. "It's also a fact that you're relatable, and that's important, too." Kara opened her eyes to say something, only to find Cat snapping yet another picture.

Despite herself, she actually chuckled. "So… I'm the most human alien you know?"

"You're the only alien I know, unless you introduce me to that cousin of yours," Cat responded with a small smirk. "Now, are you going to go take the day off, or am I going to have to force you to go someplace to relax?"

"Like where?" Supergirl raised a defiant eyebrow. "And how would you force me?"

"You and I both know how resourceful I can be," Cat responded as she walked around her desk. Pulling out her purse, she dug around until she pulled out a key on a Channel keyring. "Here."

The younger woman frowned. "What is it?"

"A key." With a roll of her eyes, Cat added, "To the balcony of my apartment. I know you said you have a day job, but, if I were to guess, you probably work somewhere that you can blend in. Secret identity and all that, which means you probably don't make enough to rent out a place with a decent tub. I, on the other hand, have an amazing tub, and I think you should use it."

"What?" Kara slow blinked as she stood up. "You want me to go take a bath?"

Cat raised both eyebrows. "The suit does come off, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes, but," the younger woman flushed, "you want me to go to your home and take a bath? I don't understand…"

"You need a break, a quiet place where no one can find you, and I'm working late tonight plus my son is with his father. Take a bath. Drink and eat whatever you want. I'll probably be home around 8, assuming I can find my assistant any time soon, which gives you plenty of time to take a moment to decompress."

"I… I don't know what to say, Ms. Grant." Kara slowly walked toward the desk and very apprehensively took the offered key.

"Well, you should probably start by asking me where I live," Cat replied with a slightly amused look. "A thank you would also be appropriate."

"Oh, yes… thank you." The younger woman held the key hand in her and marveled at it. Was this actually happening? "And, um… where do you live, exactly?"

* * *

Kara landed in the alleyway behind CatCo and quickly changed back into her day clothes. She pushed Cat's key down into her pocket and cursed the world for not actually being able to take Cat up on her offer.

Scurrying to the coffee shop, she picked up Cat's preferred order and then made a beeline back to the office. It took less than a minute for Cat to yell at her to come into her office, and Kara did so with the cup held out as an offering. "I brought your coffee, Ms. Grant. I'm sorry that took so long, but the line was longer than usual."

"While you were out gathering the beans to make this," Cat said after a long sip, "Supergirl came by."

"Oh!" Kara tried to look surprised. "The questions…"

"I did just fine without them, thank you." Her boss waved her hand, indicating the other woman should step behind her desk. "I took these when she was here. Tell me which one you like best."

Kara slowly walked to the desk and looked over Cat's shoulder. On the screen were photos of her in her suit sitting on the sofa, and she had to stop the gasp that nearly left her at what she saw. It was her… Supergirl …and she looked small and tired. She looked like the weight of the world was upon her, and, though she was holding it up, it was clear that the heft was taking a toll.

Not thinking, she reached out to run a finger over the photo of her reclined back, eyes closed and face splotchy from crying. There were wet streaks down her cheeks, and her hair was askew. With the afternoon light filtering in from behind her and the shadows the sun cast across her body, she looked… wary but human.

"I take it that one, then?" Cat's voice pulled Kara from her thoughts. "I thought so, too." She enlarged it to fill the screen. "I'm going to use this one as the main photo for the interview." She turned slightly to look up at her assistant, "Didn't you tell me you were taking a half day today?"

"I… I… don't think so?" Kara stood back up and flipped open her planner. "No, that's in two weeks, Ms. Grant. I have a… dentist appointment." She had a meeting with the top brass of the DEO.

"Oh," Cat shrugged her off, turning back to the screen. "I was working off the assumption that was today." She shrugged. "You might as well take advantage of that."

"Ms. Grant?"

Cat gave her an annoyed look. "Go, Kiera. As far as I'm concerned, today was your half day, so go take it. If you don't, you'll throw my whole work schedule off because I've already made plans, and," she said, turning back to her screen, "make sure to put that other half day down on my personal calendar so I don't make this mistake again."

Kara looked as confused as she felt. "Oh… okay, Ms. Grant. I'll just…"

"Go," Cat deadpanned, waving her assistant off.

Kara nodded and gave a few words of thanks as she tripped her way out of her boss's office. She'd never been so thankful that Cat was incapable of keeping dates straight in her head. As quickly as she could get away with, she flipped off her computer, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door.

Stepping outside, she stuck her hand in her pocket, and her fingers wrapped around Cat's key. It was probably a bad idea, and she knew her sister wouldn't approve, but, for once, she was going to take the risk. After stopping by her apartment to drop off a few things, change into her suit, and pack a few essentials, Kara pushed out of her window to fly to Cat's apartment with nothing but a feeling of thankfulness for having even this brief break from the outside world.


	9. Angling

Cat's top floor penthouse was clean with sleek lines and stark color contrasts. Kara carefully entered through the balcony's door and glanced around half expecting Cat to pop up from the shadows somewhere and ask her what she thought she was doing sneaking around her private residence. Instead, what she saw was the living room and stairs leading up to what she assumed was the master bedroom.

She swallowed thickly. Was this really a good idea? Her heart raced, and she felt weirdly nervous. Maybe this had been a bad idea? It wasn't too late for her to go back home, but, on the other hand, she was curious. What did the private bedroom of one of the most powerful women in the world look like?

Gingerly walking through the penthouse, Kara made her way up the stairs to the open door of the master bedroom and smiled as she looked in through the doorframe. It was perfectly Cat, a white and black room with bright shots of color and comfortable furniture. She stepped in and moved slowly around the room. Pictures of Carter were tastefully displayed throughout, and interspersed between those were framed articles and publications Cat was particularly proud of.

The whole room was like walking through Cat Grant's life. Carter's pictures were set in chronological order as were the publications, and, although most of Carter's photos were candid shots, it all had an oddly formal feel to it, which was very much Cat. Kara smiled fondly as she picked up the most recent picture of Carter. He had his mother's expressive eyes.

Glancing around one last time, she made her way to the master bath and finally flipped the lights on. It was the biggest bathroom she'd ever seen. A double sink lined one wall leading to a separate area for the toilet. A door leading to what was likely a closet set into another wall that it shared with a multi-head glass encased shower, and, on the far wall, was the biggest, most lavish looking sunken bathtub Kara had ever seen.

It was like looking at something out of one of Cat's home décor magazines, and Kara felt both impressed and uncertain. She really didn't belong in a place like this. Then again, that tub looked very inviting, and the bathroom was cozy feeling. It smelled like Cat, and, for some reason, that was comforting.

She dropped her bag on the counter and moved to the tub to turn on the tap. The voice in the back of her head screaming this was a bad idea was quickly fading away to leave room for the voice that said things like, "This is where she bathes," and "I bet she looks good enough to eat when she's soaking in this tub." That voice made Kara want to run, but she was doing her best to ignore it.

She opened the nearest cabinet and let out a relieved sigh to find bath salts and bubble bath stored there. Of course things would be in a logical place. This was Cat's bathroom, after all. Kara added them to the bath and breathed in deeply. It smelled like Cat always did on Monday mornings, fresh with a hint of lavender.

For a moment, Kara watched the water flow and allowed herself to not think before bending over to take off her boots. She carefully placed them in front of the double sinks before removing her cape and draping it over them. Next she pulled off her suit, laying it on the sink, and finally removed what was left leaving her standing fully nude in Cat Grant's personal bathroom in Cat Grant's private home, and Kara had a moment. This was definitely the weirdest thing she had ever done.

She glanced at herself in the large mirror behind the sinks. She knew, by human standards, she was attractive, but she had a leg up on humanity. Her body burned so many calories that it was practically impossible for her to maintain body fat, and very little to no body fat combined with the effort her muscles went through on a daily basis meant she looked well defined if not a bit muscular without much effort.

The joys of being an alien, she mused. Running her hand down her torso, she thought about how hard she'd been gut punched that day and even she had to admit that it was nothing short of miraculous that she didn't have a scratch on her.

Taking in a breath, she let it all go. That line of thinking would lead to something she wasn't ready to deal with again, so she pushed it away and made her way to the tub. Turning the tap off, she stepped into the murky, bubbly water and sank down until only her head was visible above the waterline.

This was nice. It was peaceful and warm and… safe. She felt wrapped up in Cat's presence, and she had no doubt in her mind that she would be fine here in this space.

Releasing a sigh, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift. The fight flashed through it along with the tragic events at the end, but then her conversations with Cat came up, and she found herself being able to relax. Cat was right; Kara had done everything she could to save that man, and, although there would be mourning time, Kara felt able to forgive herself just a touch for not being able to do it all.

Dipping her head underneath the water, she pulled up, slicking it back and resettled to allow the quiet and peace to be her companion for the first time since Supergirl landed in National City.

* * *

Cat Grant wasn't one to share her private spaces. She preferred to be left alone when she wanted to be left alone, and she never shared. That wasn't her thing, unless it pertained to Carter, but Carter was the exception to many of her personal rules.

Needless to say, she surprised herself when she offered Supergirl a key to her place in order to invade her most private of sanctuaries and use her bathtub. Of course, she'd known she was going to do it. She'd had both her bedroom and living room's balcony doors recently rekeyed to use the same key, and she'd intentionally made an extra key.

She wasn't in such denial that she didn't realize who that key was for, but she had to admit that she thought she'd be giving it to the younger woman once they were closer. Still, there was no reason to dwell on it. What's done is done, and, now that she had Supergirl's interview up on her main site, it was time to go home. It was around 8, as predicted, by the time she arrived at her penthouse, and she walked in to find her living room's balcony doors open.

She rolled her eyes and closed them before turning to go up the stairs.

As she walked into her room, she immediately realized her bathroom light was on, and she snorted. Did this girl not leave anything the way she found it? She was going to shut the light off and head for bed when a pair of bright red boots covered in a long, flowing cape caught her eye. She breathed in quickly. Could it be that the other woman was still here? Her eyes moved up the counter to the blue and red suit that covered what looked like a small bag and then on to the tub where she found the woman in question fast asleep.

Despite herself, Cat smiled. The younger woman looked so peaceful. She almost hated to wake her up, but she couldn't stay in the tub forever. There was no reason. The guest bedroom was just down the hall. Besides, she was probably a prune by now. The thought gave Cat pause. Did Kryptonians prune in water? She supposed there was only one way to find out.

Cat quietly made her way over to the tub and found herself a bit disappointed yet relieved that the water was opaque enough to cover the other woman's body from view. She knelt down and carefully reached out to touch the younger woman's face. "Hey," she whispered tensely. She wasn't sure if this was good idea given how strong the Kryptonian was and how likely it was she might react violently in her sleep. "Supergirl, wake up."

Kara moaned in her sleep and scrunched her face up. "Don't wanna," she mumbled out, scooting around as if she were going to roll over. The feel of the cold water against her body pushed her to open her eyes, and she gasped in horror as she realized she'd fallen asleep in Cat's tub and the woman herself was now kneeling next to her trying to wake her up. "Ms. Grant!" Her eyes were wide, and she was starting to panic. What was she going to do? It's not like she could make a run for it. Wouldn't the papers love that? 'Supergirl Streaks Through the Sky…'

"Easy there, Supergirl. I don't want you making a mess in my bathroom." Cat shot her a teasing smile. "How do you feel?"

"I… I… better?" Kara honestly had no idea how she felt right now. There were hundreds of different emotions running through her head, and none of them was telling her what she should be doing. "I'm sorry I feel asleep. I didn't mean to."

"I think it's a lovely compliment, actually." Cat stood and turned to pull out a towel. "If you feel comfortable and safe enough to fall asleep in my home, then I must be doing something right." She didn't specify the something, and the younger woman didn't ask, too caught up in her turmoil of mixed emotions. Cat laid the towel near the tub and brushed herself off. "Have you eaten?"

"No," Kara replied slowly as her brain began to come back into focus. "I haven't had time yet."

"Well, then, you're eating here. I'm going to pull a few things out of my closet and then go into my bedroom to change. Did you bring something other than the suit?" At the slow shake in the negative she received, she nodded. Stepping into her closet, she came back out with a bundle of clothes in her hands. "You may borrow these. They belonged to an ex, and I usually sleep in them, but I think they'll probably fit you better than my clothes will." She set them on the counter and picked up the suit. "You're just slightly taller than I am," she commented as she held the suit up. Shaking her head, she stepped back into the closet and came out with two additional hangers. She placed the suit on one and hung it on a hook on the bedroom side of the bathroom door before picking up the cape.

"This feels different than I thought it would." She pulled the fabric closer so she could really look at it. "Is this Kryptonian fabric? I've never felt or seen anything like it."

"Yes," Kara croaked out from her spot in the tub. What was happening here? How could Cat be so nonchalant about everything while Kara was nude and in her tub? This whole thing was surreal. "My cousin gave it to me when…. When I decided to take on the family business." She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "It's made from the blankets he was wrapped in when he landed here on earth."

"Interesting," Cat replied while she carefully folded it and hung it over the hanger. She added that hanger to the other with the suit and then moved the boots to rest in her bedroom in front of her chest of drawers. "But your suit isn't made of the same thing?"

"Uh… no, and sometimes I forget that." Kara could feel herself blushing. "It can make things a little X-rated when I fight monsters that breathe fire or like to try to cut me to pieces. I don't cut to pieces, but…" She trailed off and glanced down at the water. "We're still looking for something that'll work for me," she mumbled, her cheeks burning red.

The older woman hummed. "I'm sure that's a sight," she commented dryly before reaching out to pluck a few articles of clothing from the sink. "I'm stepping out there to change and then I'm going downstairs to cook dinner. It shouldn't take long. Join me once you've dressed?"

Despite it being a request, Kara reacted to it as a demand. She couldn't help herself. She liked pleasing Cat. "Yes, Ms. Grant."

"You know, I think we've moved past that. Anyone who can sleep nude in my tub can also call me by my first name," Cat said with a smirk.

Kara glanced at her, eyes wide. "Okay… Cat."

"Good," the older woman said with a curt nod and turned to exit the room, closing the door behind her.

Kara threw her head back and moaned. What was she doing? What were they doing? What was Cat's angle? She closed her eyes, and the photos from James flashed through her mind. Maybe there wasn't actually a professional angle? Maybe this was actually personal?

She shook her head. What was she going to do?


	10. Calculation

It had taken her a few moments to gather her thoughts and a few more to pull herself together, dry off, and get dressed. After pulling on the grey sweatpants and black tank Cat had left for her, she had slowly wandered down the stairs and toward the kitchen.

She could smell something wonderful cooking away, and she suddenly felt the hunger pains she'd been ignoring. Turning into the kitchen, she breathed in deeply, but less from the aromatic smells and more from the sight.

Cat Grant was casually dressed in a pair of black shorts and an oversized dark blue t-shirt. Her hair was loosely pulled back, and her face was clean of makeup, which, as far as Kara could remember, was the first time she'd ever seen the other woman without a touch of makeup on her face. She had enough brain power left to wonder when and where Cat had washed her face, but she tossed that up to the penthouse likely having more than one bathroom and Cat being overly prepared for just about anything.

Kara slowly made her way to the massive kitchen's island and sat down on a stool on the opposite side from where Cat was quietly cutting something. "I see you found your way back down here."

The younger blonde nodded, clearing her throat. "Yes, and thank you for the clothes." She glanced down at herself, unconsciously flexing her arms. She heard Cat gasp under her breath, and, for some reason, Kara liked hearing that. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Cat stopped cutting and carefully placed the knife on the cutting board. "I'm not sure. What do you eat? Is there some kind of Kryptonian food, or do you eat human food?"

"Uh, both?" Kara gave an apologetic smile. "There was food specific to my planet, but it's gone now. I've eaten human food since I arrived with no ill effects except that I have to eat much more than you do."

The older blonde nodded. "How much?"

"Well, a normal adult human female needs about 1200 calories for a day. I need about 3600 just to maintain, and, if I over exert like today, I really should eat about 6000 calories." She shrugged. "I basically have a hollow leg."

"And you look like that?" Cat slowly shook her head. "Amazing, and good to know. I'll need to cook more than this for it to be enough." She turned and pulled two more packages of chicken out and a rice cooker from under the island. "We're having chicken and rice. I hope that's okay?"

"That sounds great. What can I do to help?" Kara was already starting to move, but she stopped when Cat held her hand up.

"Nothing. You help me and this city all the time, Supergirl. The least I can do is cook us dinner." She began setting up the rice cooker as she spoke. "If you want to do something, tell me more about yourself."

Kara internally groaned. Of course Cat would want to know more about Supergirl. "What would you like to know?" Of course, she was going to acquiesce.

"Well, what's your favorite food?" The older blonde moved about the kitchen, seeming to pay more attention to cooking than her guest.

Kara knew better. She knew Cat was watching her and learning. She smiled brightly. "Chocolate pecan pie. It's the best food in the galaxy, and I would know." Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

Despite herself, Cat chuckled. "I bet you eat junk food a lot, don't you?" The younger woman gave a guilty shrug. Cat snorted. "It must be a Millennial thing. My assistant eats more junk food than real food, too." She shook her head. "I envy both of your metabolisms."

"You shouldn't, Cat. You look amazing." The words were out of Kara's mouth before her brain registered them. Once she realized what she'd said, she was going to apologize for stepping out of line, but the pleased look on Cat's face made her stop. In fact, Kara could see a hint of a blush, and, despite her internal warning bells going off, she let her mouth keep moving.

"I can't think of a time when you didn't look attractive, and," she was internally screaming at herself. Was she really saying these things? "It doesn't really matter what you're wearing or not… designer clothes and makeup or comfy clothes and a clean face, you are, by far, the most attractive person I have ever met, so I don't really think you need to envy my metabolism," she finished, the assertiveness in voice finally petering out as her resolve about how bad of an idea this was started to grow. She finished quietly by adding, "but I might envy you sometimes."

Cat forgot about the food. The words coming from the other woman left her stunned. Sure, she'd been flirting with Supergirl for a while now, and, yes, she had every intention of at least trying to see where this would go, but she'd never guess that the other woman would take such a bold step so quickly. She expected her to be slow and cautious about it, to be a bit mousy.

She should have known better. If she'd learned anything from watching Supergirl in action, it was that, once her mind was made up, she acted.

She gave the now wild-eyed younger woman a dazzling smile as she turned back to preparing the food. "Thank you," she demurred, not sure which way to go yet with this. Maybe another question instead of trying to push this? "You know," she began with a change in her cadence to indicate she was going to let that all go for now, "I've always wondered how you eat without accidentally breaking off fork prongs or shattering plates. Did it take you a long time to work out how to maneuver on earth?"

"It did, actually." Kara relaxed. She'd much rather talk about accidentally destroying property than keep on with the line of thinking she'd started because it ended with her doing something that would likely get her fired… if Cat knew she and her assistant were the same person. "Super strength means super accidents. Learning how to use appliances and do basic things like eat using utensils was hard at first because I had to learn to gage how much force to use. It's gotten easier over time. I mean, I don't accidentally pull car doors off cars when I open them anymore, normally, but, if I get too comfortable, I can forget." She looked away in embarrassment. "Nothing in my apartment is new or even matches. It seemed kind of pointless to buy new or matching things when I know that eventually I'll be half asleep and forget my own strength. I can't tell you how many of my dishes are scratched from a knife I put too much pressure on or how many of my coffee mugs are chipped from me accidentally hitting them with my front teeth."

She sighed heavily. It was a little thing, really, but it annoyed her. She honestly wanted to have nice things. "I even have a hard time with clothing because seams aren't meant for super strong wearers who can rip them like paper, which is why I try to buy from the discount rack." She sighed again, annoyed that she'd never know what it was like to buy a brand new anything. "Kal grew up on earth, so he eased into his powers. I wasn't so lucky, and I sometimes still have issues." She winced. "I've gone through more coffeepots and alarm clocks than I can remember."

Cat tilted her head in thought. "I would never have considered that, but it makes sense." She checked the chicken and began pulling out serving dishes. "I suppose your strength would be a factor in many of the things you do in daily life." She set two bowls down and added forks. "I guess that means sex is out of the question, then, doesn't it?"

Kara's breath slammed out of her, and she glanced up from where her eyes were on the bowls. She looked scared and slightly confused. Her hands gripped the side of the island, and she could feel it crack ever so slightly beneath her thumb, causing her to quickly release it. "What?!"

The older woman gave an almost disinterested shrug, but Kara had seen it before. It was calculated. "If you're that strong when you're not paying attention, I would guess it would be incredibly dangerous for you to completely let go." There was a disappointed note in Cat's voice. "If you can't have a partner, can you even ma…"

"I'm not having this conversation with you, Cat." Kara took in a deep breath, rolling her eyes up to try to sort out her panic from her annoyance. "If I'm ever lucky enough to have a partner, I would hope she's understanding enough to know that we would have to do some specific thing for both our safety, but that's between the two of us, and I really am going to have to draw the line there."

Cat raised an eyebrow as she served the food. "She?"

Kara huffed. "Or he. Whomever. It doesn't matter. Gender is a construct of Earth. Krypton held firmer to the belief that one was attracted to the person and not the genetic makeup of said person." She reached out for one of the bowls and shoved food into her mouth as a way of saying she was done with this conversation.

The older pursed her lips in thought. "Fair enough, Supergirl." She served herself. "How's the food."

"Really good," Kara replied around another mouthful and her eyes smiled at Cat's faux-annoyance. She swallowed happily. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I didn't know you'd ever wondered." Cat smirked, adding more food to the other woman's bowl. "I wasn't always rich and famous. I had to feed myself until I arrived."

Kara nodded, giving the older woman the point. "Thank you for… everything. Really, it's nice. I don't often have a chance to hide away from the world."

"Well, you have it now." Cat finished her food and added to her dishwasher load. "Keep the key. Come anytime. I know my son Carter would love to meet you when he's not in mortal danger."

"I like Carter. He's a good kid." Kara's eyes grew bright as she thought about the time she'd spent with him. "It's clear how smart he is. You know, I really think he'll change the world one of these days."

Cat grinned. "So do I, but I know it's my maternal bias coming out."

"Well, I can say it with no bias. There's so much intelligence there. I know he's a little shy, and I know a thing or two about being shy," the younger woman said with self-depreciation as she bobbed her head slightly, "but I think he'll eventually find his way."

The older blonde nodded. "You did."

"I… am finished." Kara held up the bowl. "Let me help put everything away before I leave."

"You're leaving?" Cat sounded as disappointed as she looked. She had honestly thought the other woman would stay.

"Well, I mean, I do have a home of my own, and I don't want to intrude…"

"It's not an intrusion if there's an open invitation. I have a guest room, Supergirl. You are welcome to use it freely whenever you'd like." Cat nodded toward the balcony. "Just remember to close and lock up next time."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was a little sidetracked when I got here." Kara moved swiftly to help Cat, who brushed her away and finished up herself. "Besides, I have to get some work done tomorrow."

"Is that so?" Cat turned to the taller woman and crossed her arms defiantly. "Couldn't you call or text your boss and let them know you'll work on it on Monday? Tomorrow is Saturday, after all."

Kara actually snorted. "No, I don't think so." She stepped backward and around the island. "I left early today, obviously, and my boss is really great but also very precise. They like things a certain way, expect things to happen within specified time frames, and I prefer to give them what they want." She shrugged. "I like making her happy, and, also," she smiled weakly, "I like my job, so I'd rather them not think I'm a slacker."

"I really don't think that's going to happen," Cat said with a sigh, "But, if you must go, fine. Just remember that my door is always open if you ever need it or want it." She watched the younger woman head toward the stairs. "Oh, and Supergirl?" Kara turned and tilted her head in question. "The key works for the living room balcony and my bedroom balcony."

Kara nodded and promptly stumbled up the stairs, much to Cat's delight.


	11. Confessions

"So, are we going to talk about the other day, or are we just going to marathon watch 'Orange is the New Black' while we pretend like you're paying attention?"

Kara released an annoyed grunt. She had thought spending Saturday night eating pizza and watching Netflix with her sister would help ease her mind and make things fall back into equilibrium, but she should have known her sister wouldn't let what happened pass by without talking about it.

Alex always had been the mother hen type, not that Kara minded. Usually, she very much appreciated it, but tonight she just wanted to escape again, if but for a little bit. She breathed in deeply and let it out in a huff. "What do you want me to say? I had a moment of weakness."

She reached out and picked up her mug of tea, choosing to focus on taking small sips of that rather than focus on her sister. "But I pulled through. It was… it was a growing pain, that's all."

Alex raised both eyebrows in confusion. "A growing pain? What does that mean?"

"It's just that, you know," Kara shifted uncomfortably on her sofa, eyes still staring down into her mug. "I can't be everywhere at once…" She trailed off, hoping that would be enough to end this conversation.

"Yeah, I read the interview." The blonde winced at the coldness lacing Alex's words. She knew her sister hated she'd agreed to do the interview, but she wasn't sorry she'd done it. Cat was right that Supergirl and National City needed to grow together. The interview had been part of that shared growth, painful though it was. "But, Kara, this is more than a 'growing pain.' I've never seen you come even close to losing control like that. I understand he killed an innocent person, but…"

"Don't." Kara turned to give the other woman a hard stare, daring her to continue. "If you're about to tell me I'm above all of that, or have to be above it, or whatever, then you can stop." She swung her eyes back to her mug and watched as she turned it slowly around in her hands as she thought about what she would say next. "Look, Alex, I know there are a lot of people out there now who are depending on me to be just as courageous and righteous as my cousin, and I'm trying."

She looked up, staring with blurry eyes in front of her at nothing, more focused on what was going on inside her head than what was happening around her. "But… you have to understand that none of this is ever as easy for me as it is for him. He was a baby when he arrived here. He grew up with human parents who taught him human ways, and they were good people. I'm not saying that my parents weren't good people." She frowned deeply as she thought about them. "They were by Kryptonian standards, but our standards for what is tolerable and what is not in a society are very different, which is something my cousin can never really know and something I still struggle with. My planet did not condone violence of any sort. It preferred to cast undesirables out of society and into the abyss, literally, and we had some serious class divides, but…"

She cleared her throat, trying not to run off on a tangent. "I'm not human. It takes me so much more effort than Clark to blend in. You can't even begin to understand, and I feel it every single day that I didn't do the one thing I was sent away to do. I was supposed to protect Kal, and I couldn't. I was also supposed to protect the citizens of Earth, and sometimes I can't."

Glancing at her sister, she wiped at her face. "It's hard to accept that it's not my fault that I couldn't protect my cousin, and that it's not my fault that I can't be everywhere all the time saving people." She stood up, moving toward the kitchen as she spoke. "I have a lot of anger and frustration, Alex."

Breathing in heavily, she slowly began to make another mug of tea, focusing on that instead of her sister so she could finish her thoughts. "I'm angry I wasn't there for him. I'm frustrated that I can't be and do more for Earth, and I'm both angry and frustrated that there was absolutely nothing I could do to save my home." She shook her head slowly as she stirred her tea. "I hate the helplessness and hopelessness that fills me when a thought about home crosses my mind. I get so angry that there was nothing, nothing I could do, and that's the same hollow feeling I had yesterday when I watched that man die because I wasn't fast enough or strong enough to stop his death from happening."

She closed her eyes against the memory. "I was so close, but just not close enough." She let out a mirthless chuckle, going back to her tea. "In some ways, that's the story of my life."

Silence filled the apartment as Alex processed what she'd just heard. It took her a few long minutes to speak, and she had to clear her throat a few times before her voice was steady enough. "I'm sorry, Kara. I think that I sometimes forget that you have that much pain inside of you." She gave her sister a watery smile. "You're always so happy, you know?"

From her place in the kitchen, Kara returned her sister's watery smile for one of her own. "Yeah," she grimly replied, voice harsh with unshed tears, "I do, too, until something like this makes me remember." She slowly shook her head, trying to clear it. "Thanks for talking me down."

Alex nodded, wiping at her eyes. "Anytime, sis."

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she allowed that to be her sign that she was going to let it go. There was no need to push her younger sister just now. "So, what did you do when you left the DEO? You know, I tried to call you around ten, but you didn't answer."

"Yeah, I went to work for a little bit, as you know," Kara answered with a hint of light humor in her voice as she made her way back to her spot on the couch. "But, after I came back as myself, you know, once the interview with Supergirl was over, Cat sent me home for the rest of the day."

"Really?" Alex looked as shocked as she sounded. "How did you manage that?"

"She got her dates mixed up. You know how I agreed to meet with the brass in two weeks?" At her sister's nod, she continued with a shrug, "Cat somehow thought I was 'going to my doctor's appointment' yesterday. I…uh, well, I hadn't put my half day in her personal planner yet, so I'm actually not surprised she got it mixed up. I'm more surprised she remembered at all."

"You're right. Cat doesn't strike me as the type to bother to learn her assistant's schedule," the brunette agreed as she reached over to grab a slice of pizza.

"Yeah, she's weird. You never know what she's going to remember. She said she'd already made arrangements for the rest of the day, and it would inconvenience her for me to stay when she thought I wouldn't be there, so she sent me home."

Alex snorted. "Lucky you. So, you just spent the rest of the day at home?"

"Well," Kara debated telling her sister the rest, but she really needed to talk to someone about what was happening between her, or ratherSupergirl, and Cat. "I may have gone to Cat's apartment."

"You did what now?" Alex's pizza fell to the plate in her lap. "You went to her apartment?"

"Well I didn't go. Supergirl went." Kara winced. "To take a bath."

"To take a bath…" Her sister narrowed her eyes. "…in Cat's apartment?"

"She wasn't there at the time!" Kara grimaced at her own words. "She gave me the key to her balcony."

"She gave you… wait… she what?!" Alex nearly stood up, remembering just quickly enough that there was pizza on her lap and managing to sit back down without leaving a mess. "Okay, out with it. I want to know everything that's been happening between you and Cat."


	12. Deliberation

"Kara, I love you. You're my baby sister, and you know I'd do anything for you, but," Alex could feel the headache forming just behind her eyes, "You're an idiot."

Her sister blinked, face scrunching with a tinge of hurt. "…and I love you, too."

"What I mean is," the brunette said as she grunted and pinched the bridge of her nose. Internally, she was ranting wildly. Why was this happening? Of all the things that could happen, why this? Hadn't they already fixed this particular issue? And now there was a new issue on top of this issue. The mental pictures of which weren't helping, either. She shuddered in disgust. That was not something she ever wanted to picture her sister doing. "Look, Kara… Cat knows."

"Knows what?" The blonde shook her head in confusion.

Alex groaned. "She knows you're Supergirl."

"Oh, come on, Alex!" Kara grumbled at her as she rolled her eyes at the obviously misplaced conclusion. "We settled this already. Remember? Remember J'onn flying to Cat's office as me while I stood there as… well, me?" She snorted. "Cat even told me that, after she saw the two of us together, that we looked nothing alike. She totally bought it. Why would you even think… how… I mean, why would she even have a reason to suspect me again? That doesn't make any sense."

"You know how I feel about her," her older sister replied in tired voice. "She dangerous, and I think she treats you like crap, but the reason she's so dangerous is because she's extremely observant. I'll deny it if you ever tell her I said it, but she's very good at what she does."

Alex waved her hands helplessly in the air. "Maybe she never actually bought it, or maybe she did for a little bit but then decided you had somehow managed to pull one over on her? I don't know? Who knows?" She ran a hand through her hair as she tried to come up with a plan for damage control. "What I can tell you is that she knows, Kara, and," she winced, glancing up at the other woman, "I'm pretty sure, based on what you've told me, that she's flirting heavily with you, which, God, that just," her winced turned into a grimace, "makes it worse."

"She is not!" Kara practically shrieked at the very idea. Cat Gran was after her? Ridiculous. "First of all," she began counting off on her hands the reasons why there was no way this was even remotely true, "Cat is my boss, and the CatCo board of directors would eat her for lunch for dating her assistant; there's no way Cat is going to put herself at risk like that. Second of all, I have never known her to date women, and, by now, I would know. Even if she did date women, which – again – I've never seen happen, Cat is so far out of my league that I wouldn't stand a chance." She paused for a second in thought. "Well, I mean, Supergirl might have a chance, but that's only because Cat sees Supergirl as an equal and not as her mousy little assistant, so there's that…." Kara tilted her head back as she racked her brain for other reasons why this was all wrong.

The brunette slowly shook her head. "Do you remember Guss Taylor?"

Her sister frowned at the seemingly non sequitur. "From high school?" She nodded absently. She remembered him as a nice guy who hung around her a lot.

"He had the biggest crush on you, and, when he finally worked up the nerve to ask you on a date, you thought he was planning a group thing and invited the rest of your group of friends. I don't think his ego ever really recovered from that," Alex finished with a little chuckle.

"Well, he never said anything," Kara protested with an annoyed look.

"Yeah, he did," her sister countered flatly. "He talked you up and told you how great and wonderful and pretty you are and how much he wanted to date someone just like you for a solid two months before he asked you out, but you just assumed he was being nice, and then there was Jake Coffer."

The blonde held a hand up in objection. "Okay, that was different. He said he wanted to date me, and I told him no."

"Yeah, after he'd been flirting with you for half a year like you were the last woman on earth," her sister contended. "You had no idea! You kept commenting on how friendly he was, and I kept trying to tell you, but no; you refused to listen to me until you realized I was right, and, then, there was Jill Acosta…"

"Who never told me she was attracted to woman," Kara cut in. "Which is fine, but I didn't know, so I assumed that she was…"

"Just being friendly." Her sister cut back in with a small grin on her face. "Yeah, I know. You always think they're just being friendly. I mean, don't you see a pattern here? Winn? What about James?"

Kara glared at her sister. "You know James is dating Lucy."

"Yeah, because you didn't make a move even though it was clear he was into you, and," Alex blushed despite herself, "James never gave you the keys to his place, and then walked in on you while you were asleep and nude in his tub, and," she refused to let her sister cut in again, "hedefinitely never said it'd be a sight to see you fighting bad guys in nothing but a cape and a smile."

For a very long moment, Kara stared in disbelief at her sister. "But," her voice was small and timid, "she doesn't even know my actual name."

Alex gave her best sympathetic look. "Kara, she does that as a power play, and I know you know that."

"But," the younger woman was still processing, "she… I mean, if anything, it's… it's Supergirl…"

"It's you," Alex corrected again gently. "She knows." Defeat tinged her words. "And the fact she hasn't outed you for the story of the century andshe's been taking care of you in a backhanded sort of way for a while now tells me she knows and wants to protect you as much as I do." Pulling in a deep breath to swallow down the bitter at her next words, Alex caught her sister's full attention and asked quietly, "How do you feel about her?"

Kara glanced uneasily around the room as she thought about it. "Sometimes," she began as her voiced cracked just slightly, "I think I know, but then," a deep blush spread up her neck and across her cheeks as the voice in the back of her mind that she'd been ignoring for a couple of weeks screamed at her about all the times she'd daydreamed about Cat being with her in everything from cute, domestic scenes to scenes so X-rated she couldn't fully look her sister in the eye as they ran through her mind. "I mean, it wasn't until James showed me those pictures that I even kind of maybe thought that Cat and I might even…"

At the curious yet demanding look on Alex's face, she stopped talking.

"What pictures?" The brunette leaned forward a little as she pushed the other woman for answers. "Why would James give you pictures of you and Cat? Or are they Supergirl and Cat?"

"James has recently been playing with the settings on his camera, and he's been taking a lot of candid shots around the office as he works through them, so, no. It's me," Kara's voice hardened, eyes sharpening. "It's me that Cat is looking at with affection, not… not her." Her eyes glazed over as she thought about the photos. "There're two of them. In one, Cat is looking at something, and I'm looking at her, and it just looks like… like she's my everything, and, in the other, I'm leaned over my desk looking at something, and Cat is looking at me like… I don't. It's like," her voice grew quieter as she really thought about it, "like she looks at Carter but with more of something."

She shook her head to clear her thoughts before turning to her sister, "But, Alex, we all know that pictures can lie."

Her sister nodded a little. "Yeah, they can, but not always, and that doesn't answer my question. How do you feel about her? If all things were equal and all things were out there, how do you feel about her, Kara?"

The younger woman looked down at her hands for a moment. The tea had long grown cold, and she pushed the mug onto the coffee table in a movement full of the hopeless feeling settling into her bones. "I… I think I might like her, Alex."

"I was afraid you were going to tell me that," the brunette muttered more to herself than to her sister. "You know we'll have to tell J'onn about this, right?"

"Tell him what, exactly? There's nothing to tell, and my personal life isn't the DEO's business anyway," Kara snapped back. "Besides, it's not like anything is ever going to happen. I mean, did you hear a word I just said about why Cat's not interested in me?"

"And did you hear a word I said about how freaking oblivious you can be?" Alex sighed and stood to start cleaning up. "Look, I'm not going to tell you what to do, and I think you know that I think getting involved with Cat Grant, Queen of All Media, when you're Kara Danvers, Supergirl herself, is a terrible idea, but I also want you to be happy."

She looked over to see her sister watching her every move intently, soaking in her words. "If she hasn't given you up by now and hasn't used your identity as blackmail, then I doubt she would ever, so," she sighed again, depositing the last of dishes into the dishwasher before dropping the trash into the bin, "if you want to pursue the invitation she's obviously giving you, then maybe you should?"

Kara sucked in a deep breath. "I don't know. I mean, the CatCo board…."

"Probably doesn't scare Cat herself. I'm sure she has a contingency plan for something like this. She strikes me as the type." Alex glanced at her phone and seemed to consider something for a second. "It's only eight. If you change and leave now, you could still make it over there at a reasonable time to at least talk to her, if that's what you want." She grabbed her keys and walked over to kiss the top of her sister's head. "Just, you know, tell me if you two do start something because the last thing I want to do is walk in on you two having happy fun times."

The remark didn't illicit the horrified protest she'd hoped for. Instead, it seemed to make Kara that much sadder. "Hey, what… I was just teasing you."

"Yeah, I know, but," Kara sighed grimly, "she's human, Alex, and I'm not. If I forgot myself for just a second, I could literally break her in half, which means I can't ever… you know." She rolled her eyes upwards and wiped at them. "So maybe it's better if I don't take her up on that invitation."

"Or," Alex clearly hated herself for suggesting it, but she also hated seeing her sister this upset, "you could wear a very small piece of Kryptonite to weaken you enough to be on level physically with her. I mean, I could run a few calculations and chat with J'onn. I'd want it make sure the radiation didn't stay long-term, but, based on how you've recovered in the past, I doubt it would. You'd just have to keep it in something lead lined when you weren't… using it, so, you know," she made a grossed out face, "spontaneous sex would never be a thing for you two."

Kara's eyes lightened just a touch. "You would do that for me? I mean, I realize how weird it would be."

"Hey, you're my little sister, and you've been my wingman plenty of times. I think the least I can do is figure out a way for you to safely have sex. Besides, I owe you a few; you always made sure I had condoms." She winked at the bright red woman in front of her before reassuring her. "I'll look into it tonight. I should know something in a couple of days, okay?"

The blonde looked up with a relieved and hopeful glint in her eye. "Okay, thank you."

Alex nodded and headed for the front door, turning just before stepping out to add, "And I mean it. Do not ever let me walk in on you two having sex, or I will kill you both."

Kara grinned through her blush. "Yeah, I got it, Alex," she yelled out to the closing door.


	13. Recognition

Flying at 8:15 in the evening wasn't as meditative as flying at midnight. The city was still awake, and Kara felt obligated to pay attention. Still, the sacrifice of losing some of her peace didn't outweigh her need to clear her mind, so she found herself pulling on the suit and making a break for her window just after Alex left her alone with her thoughts.

She needed the open space around her to breathe.

She also needed guidance, which normally would mean talking things out with her sister, which wasn't an option. Alex was, after all, the one that has caused this particular maelstrom of thoughts to bombard her. If not her sister, then she would usually seek out Ms. Grant who always seemed to know exactly what to say to make Kara feel better.

For obvious reason, she wasn't an option either.

Kara allowed her hearing to focus more on the city below in the hopes a cat would be stuck in a tree or something equally mundane that she could focus her energy on because she desperately needed a distraction from her personal life. Unfortunately, no kitties were stuck in trees, and her ears picked up only the usual – car accidents, fires, ambulatory emergencies and the like.

The first responders of National City had those situations in hand. They didn't need her; they did their jobs well and with integrity. Her personal policy on helping the city had quickly become to only step in if the first responders were overwhelmed, she knew there was no physical way they could handle the issue (such as an escapee from Fort Roz), or she happened to be there when the emergency happened and no first responders had arrived yet.

Shortly after revealing Supergirl to the world, her cousin had called to chat and given her some sage advice based upon his years of experience protecting Metropolis. He explained that it would be easy for humans to become so dependent upon her for saving that they forgot how capable they were on their own, and she could quickly become their crutch. It was important to allow them to save themselves, to allow their own kind to be the real heroes, but to help when they truly needed it. In that way, National City could remain functional but protected, and, if she had to step away for whatever reason, she could do so with full faith that the people would be fine.

He'd also reminded her that even superheroes need a day off, and she should remember that, too. So far, she'd listened to about half of his advice, which is why she tried to keep the balance between where she helped and how often she did so. Just because she could didn't mean she should, and right now was a time when nothing was happening in which she should.

The lack of a distraction left her mind to wander, and it insisted on going back to her conversation with Alex. Was her sister right? Did Cat actually know? Was Cat actually attracted to her? Did Kara really want to know? What about keeping those she loved safe by maintaining a secret identity so her enemies didn't come for them? If she confirmed with Cat that she was actually Supergirl, would that put the older woman in danger? Worse, wouldn't that put Carter in danger?

She knew that, as Supergirl, she favored the Grants. She tried not to, but she couldn't really stop herself. They were important to her, and keeping them safe was as high a priority as keeping her sister safe. Were they already in danger because she favored them?

Her insides electrified. Between the shocking idea that Cat might actually be attracted to her and not just Supergirl, the fear that the Grants might be in danger even if she didn't come clean, and her personal confusion at what to do about any of it, she was mentally shaky, which made her physically unstable. Her flight path began to falter, and it became increasingly clear she needed to land quickly before she crashed and caused a devastating and catastrophic accident.

Her body weaved through the air in a nondescript fashion as her eyes searched for a safe place to touch down. She quickly located a balcony and veered uneasily toward it, landing on unsteady feet and falling hands first onto the stone.

For a moment, she allowed herself to just be as an unsightly pile of blonde hair and red cape. Her mind reeled, her emotions were a mess, and her body wasn't cooperating. Everything was awful, and she just wanted to calm down enough to get off of the balcony before whomever owned it stepped out to find her laying there as a useless lump of red and blue.

"The last time I saw you take a tumble like that on a landing," a dark, alto voice rolled over her, and she mentally cursed every god she could think of. Of course she managed to land on the one balcony she really wanted to avoid. "You were brand new to wearing that suit. As I recall, you took quite a few tumbles those first few months."

Kara looked up through her hair and around a portion of her cape to see Cat Grant standing over her with an outstretched hand. Blowing the hair out of the way, she accepted the offer, careful to right herself with Cat's help and not accidentally pull Cat down with her.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Grant," she was desperately trying to steady herself enough to leave, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. "I didn't meant to intrude. I just…"

"Do Kryptonians have problems understanding simple decrees?" The smaller woman dismissively waved her free hand at the other woman. "I told you it was an open invitation, which means you can't intrude, and I believe I gave you permission to call me by my first name, did I not?"

"Right," Kara said with a nod. "It's just that… well, I had a little complication with my flying, and I'm afraid I'm a little off my game right now."

Cat raised an eyebrow as she looked the disheveled woman up and down. "Clearly."

Kara blushed, glancing away to break the heavy eye contact between them only to realize she was still holding the other woman's hand. Her eyes remained locked on the physical connection while her brain slowed down and her insides shook with a mixture of excitement and confusion. "I…" she swallowed, forcing her eyes up to meet Cat's and wincing slightly at the amusement she found dancing there. "It's just… been a very long day."

"With you, I'm sure that's a regular occurrence," the older woman acknowledged with a nod toward the ground. "Are you alright?"

"Relatively." Kara reluctantly pulled her hand away to fix her hair and step backwards to put some space between them. "I just have a lot on my mind, and it's distracting me."

Cat gave an understanding nod, motioning to the bench on her living room's balcony. As she gingerly sat down, she patted the space beside her in invitation. "Would you like to talk about it?"

The younger woman internally debated her next move. Given what Alex had said earlier, should she take that seat so close to Cat? Was that a good idea? Logistically, the answer was no, but she felt a physical need to be near the other woman. She wanted to feel the comfort Cat's reassuring presence always brought to her, and, in truth, she was tired of trying to figure it all out.

It was exhausting her.

She'd been consciously fighting whatever this was for weeks now and had probably been fighting it subconsciously for far longer than that. Evidently, fighting it wasn't working out well for her, so she took the offered seat. Whatever was going to happen would happen.

She grabbed either side of her cape to pull it around herself and wrap up as she took the seat, settling in and staring down at the stone tiles that made the floor of the balcony. She could feel Cat watching her with a gentle humor in her eyes that made the younger woman feel self-conscious.

Cat clicked her tongue. "That bad?"

"No." Kara grumbled for a second and then sighed. "I mean, yes but no, and it could potentially be a really great thing, but it could also be a really bad thing, and," she warily groaned, "Even if it turns out to be a fantastic thing, the complications of it could still be really terrible." Wiping at her face with one hand, she held her cape tightly shut around her. "My life is a convoluted and complex mess."

"Even the strongest woman in the world has personal issues?" Cat tilted her head in consideration as she glanced out at the city before them. "Who knew?" She chuckled. "That's very human of you, very normal."

The younger woman gave a few quick, dismayed shakes of her head. "You're the only person who ever calls me normal."

"Would you prefer that I didn't?" Turning her head to look at Kara, Cat ran her eyes over the younger woman to search for some clue that would help her understand what was happening.

"No. I like it. It's nice to be thought of as normal." The other woman smiled just slightly. "I know it sounds weird, but I've always wanted to be normal."

She let her cape fall to her sides as she reached forward to place her hands on the edge of the bench's seat. "Normal is something that's tough for me to do, but I try really hard because it feels nice to be accepted for me and not for whatever impressive thing I can do because I'm not human." She frowned deeply in thought. "Normal means people see me and not just the cape."

Cat reached a hand out to place it gently on the other woman's forearm. Her voice was tender and eyes soft as she spoke. "I've always seen you, Kara."

Kara's breath caught and her eyes pricked with tears. Alex was right. Of course Alex was right. Sniffling back the tears, she asked in a hoarse voice, "How long?"

"It took me three days," Cat declared with a genuine chuckle before standing to walk to the balcony's edge. "It's so easy to fake things in this day and age. I'm a media mogul, Kara. I've seen a lot." She casually turned around to face the other woman, leaning against the railing as she did so. "I can't tell you how many magicians and illusionists I've met in my career who can pull off the same thing you did, and they were merely human."

Shrugging, she added nonchalantly, "I will admit that you did manage to fool me long enough to annoy me, but I decided to let that go. If you wanted to live a double life so badly, who was I to stop you? Besides," she said with a hint of indifference, "I realized you have bills to pay just like the rest of us, and you are the best assistant I've ever had, so why would I want to fire you? You need the money, and I need a competent assistant."

Kara slowly nodded, taking everything in. "Cat," the name stuck in her throat, but she forced it out. This wasn't a conversation between Supergirl and Cat Grant, media magnate, or Kara Danvers, assistant, and her boss. This was between Kara and Cat.

She needed it to be between the two people behind the titles. "When you say you see me, what do you mean?"

The older blonde took in a deep breath and slowly let it out as she considered her words. "I mean that, even before the suit, I saw that you had amazing potential to do great things, to do good works for this city. You're bright and clever." She smiled mischievously. "You're also loyal and easy to please with treats, like a puppy."

In spite of herself, Kara chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine." Standing, she walked over to join the other woman, leaning forward on the balcony's railing to look out over the city as Cat remained leaning backward against it. "But, I mean, in what way?" She mentally berated herself for not being able to find the right words. Turning to look up at Cat, she asked in a quiet, unsure voice, "What am I to you?"

Cat's expression told her it was a fair question. "What do you want to be?"

"I want to be where you are," Kara answered honestly, straightening to turn to fully look at the woman beside her. "You're my safe place, my inspiration. Whenever I'm with you, I believe I can do anything, and it has nothing to do with my powers and everything to do with being with you. I think about you." She could feel her blush coming back, and the smile that graced her lips was almost demure. "I mean, you're on my mind a lot when I'm saving people or trying to not say the wrong thing to the media. I always wonder what you think and how you are. I just…" She held her hands up in a movement that should indicate defeat, and maybe it did in a way. "I want to be with you if you'll have me?"

"You're so young," Cat answered in a soft voice, reaching out to run her finger from Kara's ear, along her jawline to stop at her chin. She pressed it under the younger woman's chin to keep their eyes locked as she spoke. "I don't want to push you. You'll have to take the first step in things. It has to be that way for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because you're also my direct report, and, before you ask about the board, don't worry about them. We'll deal with them later. What I want you to know is that I would like for you to be in my life in any way you're comfortable. I trust you, and I trust you with my son. I've opened my home up to you, and I need you to know that you will always have a place with me, Kara, regardless of what you choose for that place to be."

Cat dropped her hand and calmly waited.

It was a tense few seconds for Kara before she could force her body into action, and, when she did, it was just short of super speed as she stepped up against Cat and leaned in to kiss her.

It was breathless and light, just a feather touch, but it was enough. "Then I choose the place right beside you," she breathed against Cat's lips.

The older woman smiled, reaching out to grab the suit and pull Kara back to her for another, deeper and more desperate kiss, commenting before their lips met, "Good."


End file.
